Editor’s note: Vermont By Degrees is a series of weekly columns written by representatives of colleges and universities from around the state about the challenges facing higher education at this time.
Timing can be everything.
In a recent oped in this publication, Vermont AFL-CIO President David Van Deusen argued against climate policies that hurt workers. Case in point is the proposed Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI) supported by Vermont Climate Solutions Caucus. TCI is a carbon cap-and-trade system that d…
Do you remember the recent hurricane which decimated 1,000 square miles of New England forest and destroyed most of Vermont’s sugar maples? Or the recent wild fires that destroyed nine towns in the state of Maine and scorched more than 200,000 acres? Or the Great New England drought — the wo…
Two facts about Vermont’s criminal justice system were made clear in the final weeks of 2019. First, our state’s justice system is far more dysfunctional, violent and abusive than many Vermonters realized. And second, we have an opportunity, as well as a moral obligation, to subject far fewe…
As a small boy, I was surrounded by absolutism. In those days before television, I went twice a week to Bible school, where we scissored robed figures printed on paper backed with fuzz — worthies like Joseph in his coat of many colors, Noah and his pairs of animals (the Ark, too, come to thi…
Critics of liberals and progressives know they are fake branding both parties, yet they persist. It leaves you wondering whether they’re doing it for nefarious purposes.
Poor Elijah dragged me to the mall Saturday. His sister had mailed him a gift card for Christmas, and while his inclination was to bury it in his dresser drawer, he knew it was only a matter of time before she’d ask what he’d gotten himself. He knew instinctively “I don’t go to malls” wouldn…
A post-holiday stampede of GOATS has drawn our attention toward politics, arcane factoids and the National Football League, not necessarily in that order. The acronym for “Greatest of All Time” usually associated with athletes, GOAT has been applied to Serena Williams, LeBron James, Michael …
OK, it is time to resolve to step away from our consumer stupor and save the Earth. These Planet columns have been running for 12 years, and the year of reckoning has arrived. Think of this as the last decade to wake up and stop destroying our planet and our children’s future. Start by liste…
When it comes to green technology, Vermont has been and continues to be a national leader. Whether it’s the cutting-edge partnership between Tesla and Green Mountain Power to roll out Powerwall batteries across the state — ensuring resilient homes for Vermonters while helping offset the powe…
The op-ed column, "Transforming transportation," submitted by the state director of the Nature Conservancy of Vermont and published in last Wednesday's Rutland Herald, presents plenty of information for consideration regarding the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI). To further the c…
Dear fellow Montpelier residents and Capitol Plaza customers,
As to your article on Page 1 of Jan. 15, citing pending legislation in the House proposed by Representative McCullough, I feel a response is required.
This latest snowstorm had some pretty good snowball snow. You know the stuff — fluffy but just wet enough that it packs well. Not too wet (which is great for making a snow sculpture) and not too dry, fine and slippery (which is best for sledding).
To Representative Helm of Fair Haven: Your remark that one of the climate protesters who interrupted Governor Scott's speech should be "smacked," shows your ignorance of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States that guarantees the right to freedom of speech and peaceful a…
As Vermont’s primary land development law turns 50 years old, it is time for a major modernization of how it works. To improve both Act 250’s effectiveness and efficiency, the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) has agreed on a package of reforms with Governor Scott’s administration. No…
Despite a strong economy at the national level, many Vermonters feel left behind. Across our state, thousands struggle to pay their bills and make ends meet. From burdensome taxes to sky-high insurance premiums, many individuals, families and small businesses are stuck in a persistent econom…
Small businesses face a critical list of legislative proposals this session that would raise costs and impose burdensome mandates that hinder their ability to operate. Vermont’s demographics have continued to erode over the past decade, aging population, declining enrollment, stagnant revenu…
We were glad to see Elizabeth Warren make a forceful case for a female president during Tuesday night’s debate. It seems idiotic that, as a nation in 2020, we would need a female candidate for the presidency to defend such a thing. It should be a given.
Some "things" need a leap of faith. As I look back, I have to wonder do other Democratic voters realize the Democrats win with their heart and not their head? So the Democrats can choose Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders because they "can" win. However, if "past is prologue," they won't win.
Rutland Herald, I know as local paper you naturally focus more on local news. However, given the fact U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, socialist from Vermont, is running for president, there is very little, if any, coverage about him or his campaign.
I like Joe Biden and John Kerry for my ticket to the White House in 2020. Both are statesmanlike and professional. It's time for a change in DC. Biden carries himself like a real man and has no issues in his closet. He is both competent and a nice guy. John Kerry has proven his love for Amer…
Most people who read their local newspaper are grateful for the coverage. Sometimes, it is quaint and folksy. Other times it is gritty. Only on occasion does our local news coverage border on scary, which is a blessing.
Against the back wall of my UVM office sits an antique wooden desk. Its surface is bare of books and paper because it serves no mere utilitarian purpose. As the desk that once belonged to Vermont Sen. Justin Morrill, author of the Morrill Act of 1862 establishing the country’s first land gra…
Health care is again moving to center stage in this election year. A year ago, the Trump administration released a respectable report (“Reforming America’s Healthcare System Through Choice and Competition”) but neither Democrats nor Republicans have shown much interest in it since no major l…
Many letters have been written to support or oppose the impeachment of President Trump. None have been written on some issues that have arisen as a result of the impeachment hearings that should unite all Americans of all political parties. This letter does that.
As a lifelong Vermont independent voter, I am giving my full endorsement to Meghan Hansen to become the next lieutenant governor of the State of Vermont in 2020.
There are few issues people care more about than transportation. How easily we may move about in the world — from home to job to school to the grocery store — has a significant impact on our well-being and on our family budgets. This is true whether you live in an urban area, a small town or…
Given the current political climate, Gov. Phil Scott took a bold position in reaffirming his commitment to resettling new refugees.
By the time this essay is published, the current confrontation with Iran may well have escalated even further. But as of this writing there is one troubling development among many that stands out: the report that hundreds of Iranian-Americans were detained, some for ten hours, at the United …
The Senate soon must perform one of its most solemn responsibilities: conducting the trial of an impeached president. When President Trump’s trial begins in the Senate, all 100 senators will consider the two articles of impeachment approved by the House of Representatives. One alleges that t…
Mitzi Johnson, meet Theodore Roosevelt. You two have something in common.
The turn of the new year always shines bright with new opportunities. It’s a chance to reflect on where we’ve been and look ahead to where we need to go. When it comes to climate action from this past year, I’m inspired by a young woman from Sweden, Greta Thunberg, and by the tremendous oppo…
My mother, Alice Cobb, died on July 4, 2012. She died in her sleep in her three-room apartment at the Parker House on Church Street in Rutland. She was 98. The home health aide for Rutland Visiting Nurse Association found her in her bed. The on-call nurse for the VNA called me that morning.
Mark Galli, the editor-in-chief of “Christianity Today,” penned a courageous piece titled “Trump Should be Removed from Office” in the Dec. 19 issue of his magazine. This must have caused an earthquake in the White House, since “Christianity Today” is America’s foremost evangelical Protestan…
When New York Yankees RHP Don Larsen — who passed away recently at age 90 — pitched the only perfect game in World Series history against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956, I was in elementary school and a huge fan. But our teachers, sadistic old nuns for whom baseball meant nothing, had pitched …
The Propane Gas Association of New England’s initial claim that propane is not a fossil fuel is, as the news media says these days, “an inaccurate or misleading statement.” I prefer to call it a lie.
This was the question I and a fellow Veteran For Peace asked folks as they entered and exited the Montpelier post office Saturday morning; we tallied up the results on a flip chart covered with plastic to keep off the melting snow. The whole point of our being out there was to respond to the…
This was the question I and a fellow Veteran For Peace asked folks as they entered and exited the Montpelier post office Saturday morning; we tallied up the results on a flip chart covered with plastic to keep off the melting snow. The whole point of our being out there was to respond to the…
The climate is indeed changing.
The U.S. House of Representatives has one and only one means by which it can curb the actions of a rogue chief executive. But it is an effective one. It is the power of the purse.
Recently, a friend dropped by while she was out campaigning for a local candidate. She was bundled for the cold and wore a small dove pin on her sweater. When I asked about it, she said it had been made in Cambodia in an area that had been bombed. People who live there collect pieces of shra…
We, at the Vermont Veterans’ Home, want to thank our fellow citizens from Bennington and all of Vermont for their steadfast support of our veterans and our Home during the past year and your incredible kindness during the holiday season.
I am saddened beyond even the usual exhausted frustration with our commander-in-chief’s continual deranged behavior. This time, he has ordered people to kill a man, without the authorization of our elected Congress, without a declaration of war, and against the moral code of most Americans a…
The president has seemingly backed off from escalating a war with Iran. The impeachment trial lingers in the wings, while the presidential election rages on. Around here, lawmakers are back in session, debating the issues of the day. It’s all so daunting.
The start of the new year provides an opportunity to reflect and set out our intentions for the months ahead. This year, I am asking all legislators to join me in committing to protect and expand access for Vermonters who are seeking public records.
Despite a soaring stock market and strong GDP growth, many Vermonters are still struggling to make ends meet. High taxes, skyrocketing insurance premiums, escalating utility costs and more, are keeping many stuck in a crisis of affordability. At the same time, small businesses that have been…
My friend, Bill, and I got into a discussion concerning which one of us knew more about Vermont geography. When we saw a mutual buddy, Pat, approaching, I made an impromptu bet with Bill. “I’ll bet you $5 I can work the names of at least 40 Vermont towns into a conversation with Pat,” I said…
Casey Jennings’ column (Jan. 3) seriously misrepresents my letter and viewpoint. I did not say, nor do I believe, that ordinary gun-owners are responsible for mass-shootings.
